The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, reviewed by Manav Gupta

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Reviewed by
Name: Manav Gupta
School: Gyan Mandir Public School

Balram Halwai is the White Tiger of the book’s title – a title he earns by virtue of being deemed the smartest boy in his village, a community deep in the “Darkness “ of rural India. Balram is the son of a rickshaw-puller, his family is too poor for him to be able to finish school, and instead e has to work in a teashop, breaking coal and wiping tables. Through his experiences, Balram learns much about the world and later state that the streets of India provided him with all the education he needed. Later, Balram gets his break when a rich man hires him as a Chauffeur, and takes him to live in Delhi. The city is a revelation. As he drives his master to shopping malls and call centres, Balram becomes increasingly aware of immense wealth and opportunity all around him, while known that he will ever be able to gain access to that world. As Balram broods over his situation, he realizes that there is only one way he can became a part of this glamour now India. The novel takes a form of a series of letters written by Balram, late night, to Wen Jiabaq, the Premier of State Council of the People’s Republic of China. In these letters, Balram describes his rose from lowly origins to his current positions as an entrepreneur in Bangalore, as well as his views on India’s caste system and its political corruption.